Interruptions and Assasins
by LadyBauer
Summary: Tony and Michelle can't get any time alone together to make plans but suddenly their plans get shaken up. So bad at summaries. First 24 fic, please be kind!


**Disclaimer: I do not own 24 so please don't sue.**

Would you believe I wrote this story in about 2 hours right in the middle of writing another chapter in what is turning out to be an epic Without a Trace fic!

I guess I had Tony and Michelle on the brain after watching the season 2 box set all day.

What I know about 24 I've gathered from spoilers on the net because we're still a few episodes behind in Ireland so if you're not a spoiler person you may want to tread carefully!

* * *

Tony cursed internally as the intercom interrupted them again. Why couldn't he catch a break and get this woman alone for five minutes? He shrugged and went downstairs as he saw that her call would take a while.

"Tony!" He heard Buchanan call him and he rolled his eyes as he turned to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I need you and Jack to follow up a new lead out on the field. It may just lead to us to the real players in this attack."

He nodded and Buchanan motioned for them to walk over to the situation room where Jack and Curtis were looking over plans.

Meanwhile Michelle sighed as she hung up the phone. She desperately wanted to know how that conversation would have ended if the intercom hadn't have interrupted. She shut her eyes as she heard his tender voice say,

"I can't bear to be without you."

She had ached for him to say those words and now that he had her head was spinning. It gave her a feeling in her stomach and she knew what that was for sure. It was hope. Hope that she had been devoid of for so long had now returned with a vengeance.

She smiled as she remembered the look in his eyes as he had spoken. His eyes had been soft but intensely set on her. She could hardly breathe when he looked at her that way. She used to wake up some mornings to find him looking at her that way. He always smiled and kissed her, holding her close. She would have kissed him if their conversation had continued but that would have to wait now.

"Michelle?" Buchanan stepped into her office and gave her a strange look.

"What?" She said defensively crossing her arms.

"I've been paging you for fifteen minutes. Are you ok, you looked like you were in a daze?"

She shook her head and moved around her desk.

"I was just figuring something out. Where are we with the new lead?"

He deposited some papers on her desk and looked at them while he spoke.

"I'm sending Tony and Jack out into the field to follow up."

"Tony?" He looked up at her and she quickly tried to cover up the terror in her voice.

"I just mean, don't we need Tony here?" As she shuffled some papers.

Bill shook his head and shrugged.

"It's nothing Curtis can't handle."

He turned his head to one side and looked at her.

"Michelle you've been telling me since I got here that Tony has changed and that he's one of the best agents you've ever worked with. I think it would be foolish in view of present circumstances to send anyone else out but him and Jack."

She nodded slowly. "You're right. I'll just go down and get their mission plan."

He watched her go and hurry down the stairs. He shook his head and smiled. He felt a loss that she still loved him but it was clear of the depth of both their feelings and he'd be a fool to try and stand in the way of true love. He had a feeling he'd be total road kill where these two were concerned.

Tony stood in the weapons room gathering anything he might need when he heard the door open. Michelle came in and smiled at him.

"Hey, so you're going with Jack?"

"Yeah. The dream team rides again." He said desperately trying to give a little humour to what he could tell was going to be a rough conversation.

Michelle chuckled softly but her smile faded. It was clear she had something to say. He continued with what he was doing and reached for the vest on the shelf beside her.

She caught his hand and held it close to her for a moment and he felt a warm tear fall on his wrist.

He took a step closer to her and pulled her into his arms holding her tightly. She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around him breathing a sigh of relief. It was the relief of all her repressed feelings for him that she was now able to release. He softly stroked her hair and they stood there in silence for a few moments breathing each other in before he pulled back. Looking into her wet eyes he smiled and said,

"As soon as this is over, we're walking away from this place."

"But Tony, this job is what you've been wanting all this time." He cut her off by touching her lips.

"It was. Since I've got here all I've wanted is you. You're all I've ever wanted. I knew it from the very first time we kissed in the hallway. Working here today has revived me, yes it's true. Revived all the old feelings inside me that I thought were lost. You know what I found out? They're all for you."

She smiled and began to cry again. He wiped her tears away softly and kissed her forehead, still holding onto to her tightly.

"Hey Tony are you ready to- whoops sorry, I'll wait outside." Jack said as he backed out of the room with a huge smile on his face.

They both let out a nervous giggle as they reluctantly let each other go, Michelle stood back and wiped her face as Tony strapped on his vest. She held out his jacket to help him on with it. She put it on his back and laid her hands on his shoulders. Gripping them lightly she placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. He smiled and bit his lip. Her hand reached his and squeezed it.

"You will be careful, won't you?"

Still with his back to her he moved to the door letting go of her hand. As he stepped out he looked back and flashed a huge smile.

"You know I will baby. I'm coming back I promise." He left the room with the image of her beaming face because he'd just called her 'baby'.

He took the seat next to Jack, the other agents piled in as the helicopter took off. Turning to look at him Jack smiled at him knowingly as said, "So, you and Michelle huh?"

Tony laughed. About a week after Jack had been released from the hospital after his torture ordeal he had visited Tony without warning one day and Michelle had answered the door wearing nothing but Tony's shirt. As Michelle had ran for the bedroom Tony came out in his boxers to see what all the fuss was about. Jack simply nonchalantly leaned against the doorframe raising his eyebrows and saying,

"So, you and Michelle huh?"

* * *

Chapter 2

As the helicopter reached its destination Tony's stomach churned with thoughts of escaping with Michelle. He shook his head to clear his mind and focus on the mission.

Michelle joined Buchanan on the floor and began focusing on the mission.

Jack addressed the agents in the helicopter.

"Alright, our primary objective is to apprehend an as yet unidentified woman who we believed is heavily involved with Habib Marwan and the terrorist attacks today. I want each of you to be on the alert. She has evaded us for this long and unless we get her now we may be out of time. Thermal imaging scans tell us she is on the second floor in a bedroom at the very end of the hallway. The building she is in is derelict so be careful."

Tony pointed out the locations on the building schematics as Jack spoke.

"Finally, she must be taken alive. If you have to wound her then fine but she is no good to us dead."

The helicopter landed and they all filed out taking up strategic positions around the building.

Michelle listened to all their radio communications. She looked at Buchanan apprehensively. He tried to give her a reassuring look but he could tell she wasn't buying it so instead he simply said,

"They'll be alright."

She nodded.

Tony moved through the house systematically checking all the rooms making sure she had no accomplices or nasty surprises waiting for them. Finally he and Jack reached the room at the end of the hall. Jack looked at Tony and nodded, Tony took hold of the doorknob and in one movement turned it and burst into the room shouting,

"Federal Agents!" But he soon found he was shouting to an empty room. It was bare and the window was open. Whoever had been there lit out quickly.

"Dammit!" Jack left the room and went downstairs to check with the other agents and, by the sounds of it, generally ball out the nearest person in his frustration.

Tony put his gun away in disappointment and looked around the room. There were some papers on the floor and he knelt down to examine them.

Behind him, two floorboards lifted up and a slender dark haired woman silently got out from her hiding place and moved towards Tony.

As he read the papers he felt something cold against his neck. He knew that feeling all too well. It was the barrel of a hand gun. A hand gripped his other shoulder and he saw that it had long nails and slender fingers.

"Get up slowly. I have charges set all over this house and if you call for your buddies I'll blow all of us straight to hell. If you understand me then nod."

He nodded and slowly rose to his feet. She slipped her hand inside his jacket and felt around until she found his gun. She put it in her waistband.

"We're going out the window. You first. Then you'll help me down."

Tony took a step towards the window but her fingernails dug into him.

"Remember, all I have to do is push call on my cell phone and everyone's dead."

He slowly lowered himself out of the window. He put his arms out to help her down. As he did, he weighed the possibility of using this situation to overpower her but he decided not to. She could have been bluffing about the charges but he couldn't take the risk. She put the gun to his back and pushed him forwards taking him into an alley where she had a car waiting. She tossed him the keys.

"You'll drive, I'll navigate. Give me your cell phone and your identification."

He emptied his pockets and got into the car. Starting the engine he moved slowly out of the alley.

Jack finished chewing out Castle and suddenly stopped.

"Tony?" He called out and waited.

When there was no answer all the agents simultaneously drew their guns and headed upstairs with Jack in the lead. Bursting into the room they saw the disturbed floorboards and Tony's radio. A car started outside and they piled downstairs and out of the house just in time to see the car drive away. Jack had dialled Chloe on the way down the stairs.

"Chloe its Jack I need you to trace a black ford saloon." As he read her the licence plate number which he just about made out as it sped away Michelle walked to Chloe and tried to make out what was going on.

"Jack? Jack? It's Michelle, what happened."

Jack tried to regain his breath and shook his head.

"Michelle, our hostile has Tony."

* * *

Chapter 3

"What!"

"It looks like she was hiding under the floor. Look Michelle, she won't kill him, we'll get her."

"Like you got her in the house? I can't believe you let this happen Jack!" She shot back.

Anger and frustration suddenly got the better of Jack.

"You know what Michelle? I am sick and tired of taking the blame for everything that's happened today. Tony made his own choice to come with me and don't you talk at me like I've never been in your position God Damn it!" He yelled as the other agents stood frozen to the spot.

Michelle shut her eyes realising of course that the one person who would know what she was going through was Jack.

"I'm sorry Jack. Chloe can you get a visual and confirm Tony's in the car?"

"I'm just patching through to traffic cameras now."

Chloe's fingers flew across the keyboard and suddenly the car came up on the screen. Michelle swallowed as hard as she could to fight back her tears as she saw Tony driving the car and a dark haired woman holding a gun to him.

"Find out who she is now." Michelle said firmly to Chloe.

"Jack?"

"Yeah? Secure that house and then get back in the helicopter and follow that car. Don't let her get away with him Jack."

"I won't, we're on it." He hung up with Michelle. "Alright you heard her let's move!"

The woman looked through Tony's wallet as he drove.

"Tony Almeida, 46 Marina Drive, Redondo Beach. Oh look, who's this?"

She pulled out a crumpled picture of Tony and Michelle taken not long after they'd started dating in one of those photo booths at a fair ground. He stayed silent and she looked at him.

"Well? Look, I'm just curious to put a name to your beautiful girlfriend, I don't have guys standing by ready to grab her or anything don't worry."

"Yeah, how do I know that?" He retorted.

She pretended to be shocked.

"He speaks!"

"Her name is Michelle and she's not my girlfriend she'd my wife."

She nodded and held her hand up.

"Okay. Take a left here, into that industrial estate. Stop outside that building."

Jack dialled Michelle's number.

"Dessler."

"Michelle, its Jack. We're in the air following the car from a distance. If she sees us we're screwed. They've just turned into an industrial estate and parked outside some kind of warehouse. We're going to set down a few blocks away and cover the rest of the way on foot."

"Jack I can barely hear you." Michelle said as her voice grew louder.

"I know, it's not a good cell area. You'll just have to wait for our report."

"Fine, Davis and his team will meet you there. Can, can you see him? Is he alright?" She said anxiously.

"He just got out. He's walking he's fine."

Michelle sighed heavily.

"Alright Jack, go get him."

* * *

Chapter 4

Michelle paced nervously around the room and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Chloe asked her tentatively.

"Yes, but I'll be better when he's back here."

Chloe nodded and stood for a moment unsure of what to say, deciding finally not to say anything.

The woman handcuffed Tony to a pipe running down the wall.

"You were prepared." He remarked.

She took a step back from him and admired her handcuffing skills. Taking off her jacket she sighed, setting his gun and wallet down beside her.

"Rule number one Tony. In my line of work, it's always advisable to have a plan B."

"That was useful considering your plan A got shot to hell fairly easily. What exactly is your line of work? And what is exactly is your name?"

She smiled perching on a desk.

"My name is Mandy. I'm an assassin and I'm very good at it. That's all you need to know."

"I have no doubt. You've been tracked for some time but only by your work."

She smiled almost flattered by this.

"What exactly is your mission this time?" He asked.

She laughed out loud and shook her head, pacing in front of him.

"Oh I get it. This is the part of the movie where I tell you my evil plan thinking you couldn't possibly escape and then just as I move close to you to tell you the last detail…"

She moved in to him so that her lips were almost touching his ear and said,

"You kill me with the paperclip you've just used to pick your handcuffs while I was distracted with my epic speech."

She stepped back and looked at him incredulously.

"Do I look that stupid to you? The truth is that my motive isn't as patriotic as the people that hired me. I do a job, they pay me a lot of money and I walk away."

Tony nodded at her.

"And it doesn't bother you that thousands or millions of your fellow Americans could die as a result of what you and these people are doing?"

She whirled around unaffected.

"My fellow Americans can kiss my ass. What have they ever done for me?"

Tony became incensed.

"No Mandy the question is what did they ever do to you? Ordinary people like doctors, house wives and high school kids are just trying to get on with their lives and you are going to have a hand in mass genocide just because they've never acknowledged you? You've got some issues lady."

"You're the one with the issues pal. What the hell are you doing in a job that takes you away from your wife and makes you a target for people like me on a daily basis? And don't you hide behind your patriotism, you tell me the truth."

Tony thought for a second and looked up at her.

"Alright. I like this job, I'm trained for it and I'm good at it. I'm no different than you."

"Except you dress it up as some kind of noble calling. When what it is, is a pay check. But you're right when it comes down to it we're pretty much the same. Well except for the fact that there'll probably be a lot more people at your funeral than there will be at mine."

She smirked. There was a knock at the door. She got up to look out the window. She smiled and signalled to someone. Looking back at Tony she laughed.

"Aw, you didn't think that was the cavalry did you? The cavalry never knock." She waved her finger at him.

Four men came into the warehouse and took up positions around it.

Tony looked at them.

"They're the second part of my plan B."

* * *

Chapter 5

Jack's team took up places around the warehouse and worked out the mission. Michelle could only listen helplessly as Jack virtually held her entire future in his hands.

"Alright guys, we're here to get Tony and we're not leaving without him but our primary objective remains the same. That is to apprehend this woman."

Jack's men began firing on the building and moving forwards. From within Mandy and her men began firing from the broken windows of the warehouse.

Tony began to kick the pipe he was cuffed to in all the noise and chaos. With a final kick it came loose spraying Tony's face with dirty water. He managed to slip the end of the pipe through the other cuff and make it to the desk to retrieve his gun and wallet.

He saw that Mandy had begun moving towards him and he aimed at her. She aimed at him and smiled. Amid the chaos and men bursting in through the door she said,

"Your not going to shoot me, you need me." Her eyes flashing, almost daring him.

"Tony!" He turned momentarily to see Jack and turned back just in time to see Mandy running up the stairs two at a time.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

Mandy's henchmen had been wiped out by Jack's tactical team and Jack moved towards the stairs but Tony put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, me."

Jack understood and watched as Tony took off up the stairs after Mandy. He burst into the room that she was in and pointed his gun at her. She was again trying to make it out of the window.

"Stop Mandy. Your men are dead. You're coming back to CTU with us."

She hung her head and swung around to face him, pointing her gun at him.

"No I'm not." She said calmly.

"What you think you're getting out of this? No way. You are going on trial and you're going to jail but first you are going to tell us everything you know. I don't care if I have to beat it out of you myself."

She smiled cocking her weapon. Tony did the same.

"Don't make me shoot you Mandy."

She pulled the trigger and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

* * *

Chapter 6

Tony expected the bullet to enter his chest but there was no bullet. Only a click. She turned to the window dropping her gun but Tony was over and holding her before she could make a move.

The agents put her in a car outside as Tony and Jack watched.

"So, that was a little excitement for ya." Jack nudged him.

"Oh yeah Jack, lots of fun being taken hostage by a psychotic woman."

They both laughed as they made their way back to the vehicles.

"Michelle?"

"Jack what the hell happened?"

"We've taken the hostiles in tact. A few injuries, nothing major." Jack said, deliberately avoiding telling her about Tony.

"Okay and Tony?"

Jack handed the phone to him.

"He's fine." Tony said with a grin.

Michelle sighed with overwhelming relief. She could have squealed with excitement at hearing his voice.

"How could you let her take you hostage?" She said in anger.

Tony and Jack laughed out loud at her.

"Don't you be laughing Jack Bauer you're not innocent in this either."

Which only made the two of them laugh even harder.

"Damn it stop laughing and talk to me!" But then she had to sit down because her own laughter got the better of her.

Buchanan watched her in amazement. He leaned over to Chloe.

"What's going on?"

Without looking up Chloe said.

"Jack and Tony are alright."

He looked bewildered as to why she was almost on the floor laughing. Chloe caught this and simply said,

"Yeah, if you worked here you'd get it."

Buchanan walked away shaking his head.

"Some real weirdo's work in this office."

After Tony and Jack got back they spent most of their time interrogating Mandy. She eventually gave everyone up after she got a deal much to Tony's chagrin even though deep down he knew she still wouldn't escape the kidnapping charge.

This enabled them to capture all the remaining cell members including Marwan and neutralise the threat.

Michelle caught Jack on his way out.

"Hey Jack."

He spun around to face her.

"Yeah?"

"Jack I can't even begin to apologise enough for what I said to you. I had no excuse."

"You were upset."

"I had no excuse. Especially not when this isn't the first time you've stood between Tony and disaster and I'll never be able to thank you."

"Michelle, besides Kim you and Tony have been my family since Teri died. I know I haven't been in touch as much as I should have been but I want you to know I'm always here for both of you."

Michelle smiled and reached out for him. He gave her a tight hug and rubbed her back reassuringly. Pulling back but holding onto her arms he said,

"I knew you guys would make it. There was never a doubt in my mind."

"I'm glad one of us kept the faith."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. She went red instantly and he walked away chuckling to himself.

The last time he'd kissed her on the cheek was on her wedding day. Michelle had asked Jack to give her away because her father had died years ago. Jack had jumped at the chance and relished the role. At the reception he had claimed her second dance.

"How bout a dance with the fella who just gave you away?" He'd said. She had laughed and agreed.

As the song ended he had kissed her on the cheek and said,

"I wish you both all the best. You guys are forever, I can tell."

Smiling at the happy memory she went to find Tony.

* * *

Chapter 7

Michelle had only seen Tony once since he'd been back because things were so crazy. Everything was winding down now and people were going home. Michelle packed up her things to go and turned around to see him standing in the doorway.

"Hey."

"Hey."

She smiled at him and put her bag over her shoulder.

"You ready to go?" She asked.

"With you? Anywhere." He stood back to let her go first.

Once they got to the car he silently opened the door and helped her in. As they pulled out onto the main road he reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb against the back of it, holding it tightly all the way home.

"I love you." He said

"I love you too. But if you scare me like that again I'll kick your ass."

He nervously entered what had been their house and looked around. It was the same as it had always been. He was surprised at how at home he still felt there.

Michelle deposited her keys and bag on the hall table and turned to face him. She reached out for him and he took her face in his hands. Looking at her momentarily he presses his lips to hers and felt such a release of emotion that it shocked him a little. He pulled away but she pulled him back and this time the kiss was hungrier and more intense.

He led her upstairs to the bedroom. As he went to open their bedroom door she stopped him.

"Tony when you moved out I stopped sleeping in there. Too many memories I guess. So I moved down into the guest bedroom."

She went to open the guest bedroom's door but he stopped her.

"I'm back now and I want to make love to my wife in our bed. The past doesn't matter any more. We have to let it go."

She smiled and nodded.

Their reunion was slow and deliberate. They took the time to fully rediscover each other after being apart for so long they wanted to remember every single thing so that they'd never forget again.

After they made love they lay side by side intertwined with each other in blissful silence until Tony spoke.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

The End (or the beginning!)

**Please read and review! If you're still awake!**


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